Press Release – Source: Eurogroup for Animals / Ethical Farming Ireland
Date: 27 January 2025
According to Ethical Farming Ireland, a member of Eurogroup for Animals:
Over 3,000 pregnant dairy cows have been shipped to Algeria from Ireland since 2024. Not only do these animals face significant stress during the journey due to their increased vulnerable state, but their wellbeing is at great risk on arrival.
On 15 January, over 2,000 pregnant Irish dairy cows were loaded onto the livestock vessel Shorthorn Express to be shipped to Algeria, a country outside of the EU with very poor provisions for animal welfare. This is the second shipment to have been sent from Ireland to this destination, following one in January 2024 which contained over 1,000 pregnant dairy cows.
Though the sea journey from Ireland to Algeria is relatively short, reports obtained by Ethical Farming Ireland have shown that the temperature and humidity on the vessels that are used can increase to high levels, and cattle can suffer from leg injuries, respiratory illnesses, and diarrhea. The risks are even greater for pregnant animals, which are especially sensitive to the stressors of transport and can experience abortion or early delivery, increased chances of dehydration and injuries, metabolic diseases, and more.
After the first shipment of pregnant dairy cows was sent in 2024, Ethical Farming Ireland filed an official complaint to the Irish agricultural minister Charlie McConalogue, notifying him that these animals were sure to suffer and that certain elements of the journey were not in-line with EU legislation. The vehicles used to transport the cows from the port were open trucks that were clearly in breach of Article 3(c) of EC Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. The letter was co-signed by Eurogroup for Animals, Compassion in World Farming, Eyes on Animals, Animal Welfare Foundation e.V., and FOUR PAWS.
It is disappointing that despite this joint effort, more pregnant animals were sent on the same route this month, signalling disregard for their welfare, and emphasising the need for much stronger and enforceable transport rules at EU level.
The welfare of pregnant animals is at significant risk in Algeria
Aside from the cruelty inherent in transporting pregnant animals, the destination does not bode well for their welfare. Algeria lacks regulated animal welfare standards, particularly at slaughter. It is ranked “G” by World Animal Protection for the protection animals used in farming, which is the lowest score.
Despite these concerns and the joint letter sent last year, the exporter Cows.ie has expressed interest in sending out more shipments to Algeria in the imminent future. This intention suggests countless pregnant dairy cows could be exposed to these journeys, and unimaginable suffering at their end.
Ireland has hit a new low by sending pregnant dairy cows on long sea journeys to a country that has very poor animal welfare standards. Not only is the sea journey putting the animals at unnecessary risk of illness and injury, including aborting the calf, they are also going to a water scarce country where they will have to endure a hot, dusty feedlot that is a far cry from the green fields of Ireland. Once these animals leave our shores they no longer have any protection and the authorities have no idea what will become of them or where they will eventually end up. I fear the fate of the unborn calves may be even worse.
Caroline Rowley, Director, Ethical Farming Ireland
What steps can be taken at EU level?
The EU must develop a stronger Transport Regulation that is strictly enforced, ensuring all transport providers are held to account on the conditions to which they subject animals. Breaches must also be taken seriously, and any exporter that does not meet the EU’s legislative requirements on transport should not be permitted to continue their routes.
What is more, it is clear that more detailed measures are needed for vulnerable animals during transport, like pregnant and very young animals, which should only be transported in specific circumstances, with every step taken to meet their heightened welfare needs.
Finally, a ban on exports to third countries is needed.While the EU’s rules can protect the welfare of transported animals within its borders, they do not apply outside of them, meaning that millions of animals could still be subjected to serious suffering if transported outside of the EU.
This is yet another example of how vulnerable animals, like pregnant dairy cows, are subjected to unacceptable risks during transport to third countries with poor welfare standards. These long sea journeys expose them to severe stress, injuries, and health issues, and once they leave the EU, there is no guarantee of their welfare. We urgently need stricter EU legislation that prioritises animal welfare, ensures enforceable rules, and puts an end to the export of live animals to destinations where their suffering is inevitable.
Susanne Blattner, Farm Animals Slaughter and Transport Programme Officer, Eurogroup for Animals
